By CNN
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Former British professional boxer and Olympic medallist Amir Khan has been banned from all sports for two years for anti-doping violations, the UK Anti-Doping agency (UKAD) announced in a statement on Tuesday.
According to UKAD, a sample collected from Khan on February 19, 2022, after his loss against Kell Brook at the Manchester Arena, tested positive for Ostarine, an anabolic agent which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) 2022 Prohibited List.
Last April, UKAD said it notified Khan that he may have committed Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) and issued him with a provisional suspension from all Code-compliant sport on the same date.
Khan was subsequently charged with two violations of anti-doping rules for the presence of a prohibited substance and use of a prohibited substance.
UKAD said Khan accepted the violations charged but maintained that his ingestion of Ostarine was not “intentional.” As a result, the matter was referred to the National Anti-Doping Panel to be considered by an independent tribunal.
CNN has reached out to Khan and his representatives for comment.
In reacting to his ban, he continues to deny any wrongdoing to Sky Sports.
“You can see by my performance against Kell Brook [that it] wasn’t the best. I lost the fight. If I went in there and knocked Kell Brook out it is different. I have never cheated in my life, I am the one who wanted the testing done,” he said.
“The amount that was in my system could have come from shaking peoples’ hands. I don’t know what the drug was in my system. I will give my views, but, like I say, I have never cheated in my life.
“I would never cheat. I am a retired fighter, and I have got this two-year ban now, which is quite strange. I have already retired anyway. No comeback plans at all,” he told Sky Sports.
Following the Brook fight, which Khan lost, he announced his retirement from boxing in May, having won 34 of his 40 professional fights and a lightweight silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
In February 2023, the panel concluded “both violations were proved but not intentional” and handed Khan a two-year ban effective from April 6, 2022, to April 5, 2024.
Commenting on the case, UKAD Chief Executive Jane Rumble said: “This case serves as a reminder that UKAD will diligently pursue Anti-Doping Rule Violations in order to protect clean sport.
“Strict liability means Athletes are ultimately responsible for what they ingest and for the presence of any Prohibited Substances in a Sample.
“It is important that all Athletes and their support personnel, whatever level they are competing at, take their anti-doping responsibilities seriously. Not doing so risks damaging not only an Athlete’s career, but also undermining public confidence in clean sport.”
